Signs
by Blake Nesbit
Summary: An embarrassed confession. A shocking piece of advice. A starry night lit by a harvest moon. Two hands trying to convey a message words already have a hard time with. And time. A Misha/Shizune romance story told in the first person. Trying to get some practice in for my current project, which is also first person. Rated M for language and lemon in later chapters.
1. Introduction

Hey, folks. This is the newly renamed Blake Nesbit here, this time bringing you something a little different. A heartwarming rather than hardcore romance story, based in the universe of Katawa Shoujo, told in first person.

The premise of this story is romance between Shizune and Misha. Some will be told from Shizune's perspective, but it will start out from Misha's perspective.

Without further ado, let us begin!


	2. A Little Advice

I stood outside of Hisao's room, my hand hesitantly poised to knock, a million questions racing through my mind.

Well, not quite that many. Really, just a few.

What is she to you?

How do you really feel about her?

And...

I steeled myself and knocked. The sounds were so ominous in the otherwise silent dorm.

_Tap, tap, tap._

I heard shuffling around from inside, and soon after my knock I heard the door open a crack.

One eye. That's all of him I see.

I try to managed a weak smile. "Hi, Hicc...Hisao."

Already, he can tell something's wrong. I can't blame him. I've never called him by his real name before.

He opens the door the rest of the way. His shirt is open, and I can see the scar on his chest. "Misha...or would you prefer Shiina in this instance?"

I shook my head. "Misha. Please."

"Okay." An awkward pause. "Well, clearly something's wrong. Come in. I'll make tea and we'll talk."

I walked into Hisao's room and took a look around. It looked much the same as it had before, just a little more messy.

"Ah...sorry, I only have one chair...you can take it, if you want."

My mind was so distant and detached, I didn't notice until he called my name rather loudly. "Misha!"

I snapped out of my stupor. "Huh? Oh, sorry...that's okay, I'll take the bed...if that's okay."

Hisao seemed concerned for me. "Sure, go ahead." Another awkward pause as I settled onto the bed. "I...Misha, it must be big for you to come to me and not go to Shizune. That, or it must involve Shizune." He handed me a cup of tea.

I blew on the warm tea out of habit. "It's...a little bit of both."

"Well, go ahead and tell me in your own time. I'm listening." He glanced at the clock, and I followed his gaze.

Quarter to eleven. Looks like I was spending the night.

"Well...I want to cut to the chase. Well, that's a lie. I want to beat around the bush, but it's better that I get it over with." I took a deep breath. "It's...about Shizune."

"Yeah?"

"I want to know something about you first. What is Shizune to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how do you really feel about her?"

Hisao scratched his jaw. "Well...I would be lying if I said I didn't like her."

My heart took a nosedive into the floor. "Oh...okay."

Hisao seemed confused by my reaction. "Why?"

I had to just blurt it out, or it would never get said. "IloveShizune!"

"What?"

I gulped. "I love Shizune."

"I heard you...but...I thought you-"

I gave a sad smile and shook my head. "No."

Hisao focused on his tea for a while, which I decided to do as well. The tea was very good, and had a relaxing effect on me.

Unfortunately, the walls I had carefully constructed against my emotions crumbled as a result.

Tears started flowing down my face, dripping into my tea. My shoulders began to shake, and my breath began to hitch.

"Misha?"

"It...it's not fair...it's not fair! I...I never had a chance! She...she only cares about you! I never even had my chance to try!" I was actively sobbing at this point, and my hands were shaking so bad that Hisao gingerly relieved me of my tea.

I pressed my palms to my eyes and continued crying. Hisao wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Misha...you still have a chance."

My head snapped up. "What?"

"Shizune and I are just close friends. We don't really have feelings for each other."

I stared at my wet palms, unsure how to feel. "Are you...are you lying just to humiliate me?"

I instantly regretted saying the words. Luckily, he didn't seem offended. "Misha...Shiina, I would never. That's a cruel way to treat a human being."

I nodded, still dazed. "...What should I do?"

"Tell her. Take her out somewhere is you want some privacy, and tell her. You deserve her, and she deserves you. You're both amazing people."

I looked up at him, mulling it over. Then I winked and stuck out my tongue, feeling my old self returning. "Flirting with me, Hicchan? Sorry, you're not my type~!"

He smiled and played along. "What is your type, then? Same height as you, dark hair, glasses, strong-willed and forceful?"

I allowed myself a laugh. "Yeah...yeah." I checked the clock. Eleven o'clock. "Hey...what do you think are my odds of sneaking back?"

"You sure you want to? I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."

I mulled it over. "Yeah, maybe...well, I can juke one patrol guy, right?"

He sighed. "If you really want to."

"I'll do it. I'll notify you once I've infiltrated!" I snapped off a cheesy salute and opened the door a crack. I stopped and turned around. "Thank you, Hisao. I mean it."

He smiled and signed [Goodbye].

I returned it and left.

I successfully managed to sneak back to my dorm. I opened my phone to tell Hisao that I made it and noticed the little envelope icon in the corner of the screen.

I opened it.

_Misha,_

_You weren't in your room, so I was a little worried. Just tell me where you were and I'll be fine._

_I mean, if you can tell me. If you want to._

_Shizune_

I sent her a message.

_Hiya, Shicchan._

_Don't worry. I just went to talk to Hicchan about something._

_Hey, if you're not busy, could you meet me at the front gates tomorrow around noon?_

My finger barely hesitated over the 'Send' button. I smiled and flipped my phone shut. I changed into my pajamas and was brushing my teeth when I heard it vibrate on my nightstand.

I finished brushing my teeth and checked the message. Correction, messages.

The first was Hisao's, simply saying _Nice job. See you later._

But the second was from Shizune.

_I would be happy to spend some time with you tomorrow._

I smiled, closed my phone, and went to sleep, feeling happier than I had in a while, apart from my still-stinging eyes.


	3. Confessions

I waited patiently for Misha, hands folded in my lap, running a thumb absently over my phone. Knowing her, she might have overslept.

Then someone taps my shoulder, and I crane my head back to look at my pink-haired interpreter.

[Hello, Shicchan.] She signs.

[Good afternoon, Misha.] I reply. She holds out a hand to help me up, and I take it. [What's the plan?]

She gave a kindhearted smile. [Let's go to the park. I have something I want to...] I could tell she was trying to work around the word 'talk'.

I saved her. [You want to talk about something? Is it important? Normally you wouldn't talk like this.]

[It...it's important to me.] Her smile faltered, and I felt a pang in my heart. I hated seeing her sad.

[Shall we?] I said, turning towards town.

[Sure. Oh...Shicchan?]

I waited.

[Would you mind if we...held hands?]

I was slightly surprised by the request, but I smiled and nodded nevertheless. The way she was acting concerned me a little, but I let it slide as we wove our fingers together and started off toward town.

Sadly, Misha's plan to go to the park was literally rained on. Instead, she led me to the Shanghai, where we ordered our usuals.

I was oddly content just to sit there with Misha, not communicating at all. When our tea and Misha's parfait came, she did something I didn't expect.

She pushed the parfait towards me so that it was between us and handed me a spoon. [Split it with me, Shicchan?]

I smiled and nodded. We dug into the parfait. Something about this made me happy, but oddly wary at the same time.

When we finished, she turned serious and looked me in the eyes. [Shicchan, I still want to talk.]

I hesitated before replying. [Did something bad happen?]

[No. I just...I want to tell you something.] She took a deep breath; I could tell she was nervous. [Here goes.]

Time seemed to slow down as she made a fist, raised it, then turned her knuckles toward me. She extended three of her fingers: The thumb, the index finger, and the-

Huh?

I knew what that sign meant, but why was Misha making it to me?

She emphasized it after seeing my lack of reaction. Then she continued the sentence. [I love you, Shicc...Shizune. Romantically. You're beautiful to me...but it makes me sad that you will never hear my voice. And I will never hear yours...but nevertheless, I love you.]

I stared at my fingertips. Misha was watching me, waiting for my reply. But she looked like she was a lot happier having said it.

I sighed and made deliberate signs with my hands.

[Forgive me, Misha...but I need some time to think about it. And...I want to talk to Hisao.]

Misha looked only slightly saddened. [Take as long as you need. I'll accept your decision either way.]

I smiled at her. [I suppose I can give you this.] I placed a hand on her right cheek and planted a short kiss on her left.

She blushed and covered her left cheek with the palm of her hand, as if wanting to hold the kiss there.

[Thank you, Shi...] She stopped, unsure how to address me, I guess.

[Shizune.]

This seemed to brighten her up considerably. [Okay.]

We spent a nice day in the park after the rain stopped, neither feeling awkward despite what had just transpired. When we returned to Yamaku, we split up, with me heading to Hisao's room. I did still want to speak to him, though I was already mostly sure of my answer.

I knocked on the door. _Tap, tap, tap _against my knuckles.

It takes a minute for Hisao to open the door. [Shizune. Nice to see you.]

[And you too. Can we talk for a moment?]

He nodded and let me in.

[Do you want to take a seat?]

I shake my head. [I won't be long. I just want a quick confirmation.]

[Shoot.]

[You talked to Misha last night, yes?]

[Yes.]

[And I was involved?]

He chews his lip a bit. [Yes. Kind of the central discussion point, really.]

[I see. Well, Misha took me into town today and confessed to me.]

[Did she? I'm happy she went through with it.]

[I see. So, did you convince her to confess?]

[She thought...she thought she had never had a chance with you. She thought...she thought we were together.]

I nodded once. [Never had a chance...I see.] I nodded again. [I'll probably be back. Until then, goodbye.]

[Goodbye.]

I returned to my dorm. Misha briefly poked her head out to ask me if I had any spare ice cubes. I gave her a few, and that was that.

I would sleep on the decision at least until tomorrow. Misha said she'd give me as long as I need.


	4. An Idea

Three days, and I still couldn't come to a solid decision. Luckily, Misha didn't pester me about it, which showed me a couple things: she really didn't want me to rush it, and my decision was important to her.

I pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to stave off the headache this was bringing me. I had thought that I was so sure of my decision...but something inside me held me back.

Do I really feel that way about her? Does she really feel that way about me? Why am I hesitating so much? What's holding me back?

I cracked my knuckles in frustration. I saw Misha glance at me, but no more.

What can I do to stop myself from balking? Is there anything _she _can do?

The more I think about it, the less I want to.

Then, amidst all the hellish chaos inside my mind, a spark of an idea. I grab onto it desperately, hoping that it'll solve my dilemma.

I tap Misha on the shoulder to get her attention, then begin signing.

[Misha, are you free this weekend?]

She seems guardedly curious. [Yeah, I think so. Why?]

I hesitate before continuing. [Well, I'm having a hard time coming to a decision...so I was trying to think of something that would get me to stop balking.]

She stops me there. [What was that word?]

I sign it out to her slowly. [B-A-L-K-I-N-G. It means the same as hesitating.]

[Oh, okay. Go ahead.]

[Well, I finally had an idea.] I stood up, went over to her desk, and bent over it until our noses were practically touching. [Take me to Tanabata.]

Misha blushed slightly due to our proximity. [How will that...I'm sorry.] She nodded, leaving her question unasked.

I still knew what it was. _How will that help you? _Honestly, I didn't know. But I knew I would find out at Tanabata.

Then Misha did something else unexpected. She planted a short, light kiss right on the bridge of my nose.

Instead of fuming, like I knew I would if it were anyone else, a hot blush crept into my cheeks. I sighed and shook my head at her. [Getting ahead of yourself again, Misha. We'll see tomorrow whether I'll swat you for it.]

Misha laughed, and though I couldn't hear it it made me happy.

Tanabata. The moment that could and would change our lives.

That night, as I lay in bed, I thought about what Misha had said about voices when she confessed. It had been part of what was bothering me for the past three days. What would my life be like if I could hear and speak?

I picked up my phone and sent a message to my mother.

_Mom, it's Shizune._

_I...was talking with Misha the other day...and I think we should give the cochlear implant a try. Something she said...I want to talk to her like normal people would. I'll foot as much of my own bill as I can...I think it would be worth it. To both me and her._

I sent the message before I could second-guess it, knowing she would ask questions. I was ready for them.

The doctor had suggested a cochlear implant soon after I was born, and once again every few years. Usually, my parents spent too long deliberating and the window passed.

This time, it was my idea. Not the idea of some stiff in a white coat. Maybe they'd give it a good college try now.

I drifted off to sleep.


	5. Tanabata

I had never felt so happy in my life.

I knew Misha knew how to have a good time, but this was better than any other time.

Both of us dressed in our yukata, we ran back and forth around the festival, eating, playing, and sightseeing.

I was in the middle of a soundless laugh of joy when Misha tugged on my sleeve excitedly. [The fireworks are starting soon! We should get to the spot I set up!]

I nodded happily and let her lead me.

She took me up to the top of a hill, where she had laid out a blanket earlier this morning. We laid down on the blanket and stared at the stars for a while. Then she nudged me. [It's starting, Shizune.]

I watched the fireworks, not caring that Misha was inching closer to me. I smiled and moved close enough to wrap my arms around her, which caused her to jolt. Apparently she thought she was being sneaky.

I closed my eyes and breathed contentedly. I didn't want to move my one arm, so I simply signed out the words I was trying to say.

[Thank you for this, Misha. You...you did perfect. This really helped.]

[Yeah?]

[Before, I wasn't sure if your feelings were even real, or if your confession was just a well-disguised joke. Now I know. You're truly genuine.]

[That's redundant. Shic...Shizune.]

I playfully poked her in the stomach with my signing hand, then kept going. [I really have only one answer for you, though, Misha.] I had planned this out quickly in my head, deciding to tease her a little bit. [I...I'm just not sure about my own feelings.]

Her face fell, and her hands trembled a little when she signed back. [Wh-what can I do to help convince you?]

[Convince? Nothing. Confirm? There is something...]

Her face lit up, though her expression was slightly guarded. [What's that?]

[Roll over and face me.]

She did. [Okay, now-]

Her hands suddenly flew apart as I pulled her close and kissed her.

Her reaction was only somewhat unexpected. When we broke the kiss, she immediately began sobbing. But clearly, her tears were those of joy.

She was so absorbed in crying that she failed to sign to me what her lips were saying. But I could read them.

_Shizune. Shizune. Shizune._

__I waited for her to finish before telling her the "white lie" news.

[Hey, Misha?]

She looked up. [Y-yeah?]

[I need to go to the hospital tomorrow.]

Her eyes widened. [What for?]

[Some surgery. One of my neck bones is turned weird.]

[That sounds like a made up reason.]

I almost winced. [It's a real thing, trust me. Anyway...since you're my...girlfriend now...] I watched her practically explode with happiness at the word 'girlfriend', but I held up a hand to postpone the inevitable pounce. [...I was thinking you should come. Break the news to my family while I'm in surgery. Keep their minds off of it for a while.]

[Yes...yes, of course I will, Shizune! Of course I will!] Misha kissed me, and I was happy.

Eventually, the two of us managed to fall asleep.


	6. An Itch To Scratch

I would've laughed at the ridiculous scene we were presenting if we weren't both miserable.

Shizune and I had fallen asleep in the grass last night, and as a result had woken up damp, smelly, and covered in bug bites.

Luckily, Shizune's surgery wasn't until evening. We had time to take care of the bites.

And that's how we wound up here, both practically bare, taking turns dabbing ointment on each other's bites.

Right now, Shizune was in the proverbial 'hot seat', one arm covering her chest embarrassedly while I dabbed the ointment on her bug bites.

Her pretty face was fixed with a blush, and when she did sign it was one-handed. She did now.

[Misha...you're beautiful.]

I take a break to sign a reply. [So are you. Why are you covering yourself up?]

She blushed harder. [It's...it's embarrassing to be exposed like this.]

[I'm fine with it. and come on, you're definitely prettier than me.]

She huffed. ['Pretty' is an objective term guys use to define us. I suppose that from the perspective of some men, I might be more desirable than you. But from others it's reversed.]

[I'm just teasing you. Come on.] I dabbed some on her cheek.

She seemed to think of something. [Oh, hey, do I have any behind my ears?]

[No, you're good. Why?]

[I hate it when I get bit back there.]

I chuckled. [Come on, let's switch. Your bites are pretty much covered.]

We switched, she covered my bites, and then we covered each other with bandaids, a surprisingly fun task. Then we headed to the hospital to get her checked in.

I decided to tell them roughly half an hour after Shizune's surgery had begun.

I cleared my throat. "Um, I have something I want to tell you guys." I realized that I was instinctively signing and tried to keep my hands still.

Shizune's parents and brother Hideaki were there, and the ones I was going to tell. "What is it, Mikado?"

"Please, call me Misha. Well, it's like this...as of last night...Shizune and I...we're...we're dating."

Shizune's mother elected to answer for everyone. "Really? I'm glad. I was hoping Shizune could find love, even with her condition. Good luck, you two."

I smiled. "Thank you, Mrs. Hakimichi."


	7. Sounds

When I woke up, I knew two things.

One, after eighteen years of deafness, I could finally hear.

Two, it scared me.

Though the hospital room would be, by normal standards, uncomfortably quiet, every slight noise was deafening to me.

Heh. Listen to me. 'Deafening'.

But, though it was loud to me, it made me happy that I could hear. I rang the bell for the nurse, wincing at the loud noise.

The nurse quickly came in and handed me a pad and pen. "Can you hear?"

I scribbled my answer. [Yes, but it's really loud and hurts my ears.]

"Good, good." She had lowered her voice to talk to me. "I'll get the doctor in here to fix the sensitivity on the implants. Your family left an hour or so ago, but your friend is still here. Should I send her up?"

[After you adjust the sensitivity. She's...exuberant.]

She nodded. "I'll send him right in." She left the room, and the doctor came in soon after.

"Hello, Miss Hakimichi. Are you feeling well?"

I took stock for a moment. [Other than feeling groggy, I think I'm okay.]

"Good, good. Now, the nurse says that the implants are too sensitive?"

[Everything seems louder than it should be, yes.]

"Okay, I'll lower the sensitivity a bit." The doctor fiddled with my implants for a moment. "Is that better?"

I nodded. The sounds around seemed much more natural now.

"Would you like to see your friend now?"

I nodded again.

"Ah, and about your speech therapy-"

I cut him off with a sharp gesture, then scribbled a quick answer on the pad. [My friend can teach me. She was my interpreter.]

He shrugged. "Well, I'll want to talk to your parents about what they think is best. But until then, I guess that'll work. Need anything else before I send her up?"

I shook my head.

"Try not to do that too much. You'll rip your stitches."

[Okay.]

The doctor left. Soon after, the door opened, revealing a perplexed-looking Misha.

I held my breath. Time to hear my lover's voice.

"Shizune?"

Somehow, it's not as overwhelming as I believed it would be. It definitely had an impact, though.

A smile broke out across my face. Misha, not knowing what my surgery really was, misinterpreted the true meaning of it and smiled back. "Hey, Shi-" Then she remembered that I was supposedly deaf. I didn't blame her for forgetting. She probably hadn't slept.

She started signing as she drew up a chair. [How are you feeling?]

[Fantastic.]

[Really? Hey, what are these things behind your ears?] She felt my implants. Whereas the most visible part of the implant was usually high and to the opposite side from the ear in question, mine were level with and a few inches behind my ears proper. She was growing more confused by the second.

[See, Misha...I might've fibbed a little. It wasn't my neck I was getting surgery on...I was getting cochlear implants.]

[Co...co...help?]

[C-O-C-H-L-E-A-R. It means...it means I can hear now.]

As I thought, Misha was doubtful. [Really? Prove it.]

[Then talk without signing.]

Misha smugly folded her hands into her lap and began talking. "So, I heard that we got a new student the other day."

[Really? Interesting.]

Her smug grin faltered a bit, but she kept going. "Apparently, a foreign student from Austria. Doesn't speak a word of Japanese, and can hardly speak understandable English."

[They speak German a lot in Austria. It makes sense.]

Misha's facade was crumbling. She looked like she was about to lose it from happiness. "So...hypothetically, if you can hear...does that mean you'll be able to speak too?"

[Someday. And you're going to teach me.]

Misha squealed with delight, causing me to wince despite the lowered sensitivity of the implants. She hugged me tightly. "Ohh! Shizune, you can hear me now! You can hear me!"

[But you still need to hear me.]

Misha pulled away and squared her shoulders. "Right! Let's get started!"


	8. An Unexpected Lack Of Hostility

They told Shizune to stay in the hospital for a few more days. So I stayed with her, teaching her to talk.

I was so happy when she finally said my name for the first time, albeit in a husky, hoarse voice that had been quiet for eighteen years.

Shiina.

Not even Misha. Shiina. My real name.

Even so, after my bout of intense happiness I reminded her to call me Misha.

She then apologized and did so. She made it a point to learn my name before her own.

Her voice grew stronger each hour I taught her. It pleased me greatly.

I was in the middle of teaching her some more high-school-level words when the nurse came in. "Miss Hakimichi, you have a visitor."

She coughed before answering. "L...let them in."

The nurse stepped aside and let in the last person we expected to visit Shizune in the hospital.

"Lilly? Lilly Satou?"

She turned towards the sound of my voice. "Misha? That's you, right?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"How is Shizune?" She set a small present on the side table along with the few others Shizune had gotten.

"Shizune is doing fine," Shizune said slyly, taking advantage of the fact that Lilly couldn't see.

"Oh, my. Mikado, what happened to your voice?"

"That wasn't me."

"Is someone else here, then?" She turned her head left and right, listening for a source of sound.

"No, just Shizune and me."

"But that couldn't have been Shizune's voice...she's mute."

Shizune decided to tease Lilly a bit. She signed for me to tell Lilly to come over to her.

"Shizune wants you to come over to her bed."

"Oh, of course." Lilly came over to the bed and sat down across from me. Shizune took Lilly's hand, making her gasp.

"It's okay, Lilly. She's going to...well, show you something."

Lilly nodded hesitantly. "Okay."

Shizune moved her blind cousin's hand to the part of the implant that was behind her ear.

"Oh! What is this?" Lilly traced out the implant of her own accord, allowing Shizune to release her. "Is this...is this a cochlear implant?"

I nodded enthusiastically, forgetting, as usual, Lilly's blindness.

"Yes, I got two. I can hear now."

Lilly gasped again. "You...you can?" She smiled radiantly. "That's great, Shizune! And you can speak, too! You have a pretty voice!"

"Thank you, Lilly. Although I owe most of the credit to Misha."

Lilly's smile turned sheepish. "Sorry, Misha. I forgot you were here for a minute."

"Don't worry~! That's what I was trying to do!"

"Oh! That reminds me. A little bird told me..." Lilly swirled her finger in the air dramatically. "That _you_, Shizune, have recently procured a romantic attachment."

"That I have." Shizune squeezed my hand, knowing Lilly couldn't see it.

"Oh, what, do I have to guess who?"

"Of course! What fun would it be otherwise?"

"Well...can I have one hint?"

"It's someone we both know."

"Well, let's see...Hisao?"

"Nope. Guess again."

"Hmm...could it be...Hanako?"

"'Fraid not. One more guess."

"Surely not Misha?"

I grinned. "Yup! Right on the money!"

Lilly giggled and clapped once. "Good, good! I'm glad that Shizune found someone." She suddenly seemed to realize something. "Aren't cochlear implants expensive?"

"Yes, but we're saving a lot of money on speech ther...thera...therapy. Speech therapy by having Misha teach me."

"Oh, I see. That's a good idea."

"Yeah. So what's that present you brought?"

"Oh! This!" She felt for it, then handed it to Shizune. "I bought it at an antique shop on the way here."

Shizune opened it. It was a music box, simply carved but beautifully finished and inlaid with silver. "Wow...it's gorgeous, Lilly."

"I'm glad. I just had an urge to buy it, and I had no idea why."

"I guess now you know."

"Oh, when are you coming back to school? Lauren wants to meet you."

"Lauren?"

"The transfer student from Austria. I've basically been assigned to be her retainer since I'm the only one who can communicate with her until you two get back. She knows sign language, so you two can interpret for her until she learns enough Japanese to function."

"I should be back tonight. I'll be in class tomorrow...and I'm sure I'll get questions...but I'll be able to hear and answer them all."

"That indeed." Lilly leaned forward and kissed Shizune on the forehead. "I'll see you then." She stood up and left.

Not about to be outdone, I also kissed Shizune on the forehead. "There." Then we both seemed to realize it at the same time.

"We..."

"You and Lilly..."

"Were just in a room together..."

"And you didn't kill each other."

Shizune laughed, a sound I was still getting used to. "What an unexpected lack of hostility."

"Indeed. Hey, you think Hicchan will be surprised?"

"Definitely."

"Well, we better head out if we want to get back by tonight."

"Indeed." Shizune pressed the call button.


	9. Shizune Anew

I walked into class the next day without Misha, having allowed her to sleep in after staying up for almost three days straight teaching me to talk. A few people whispered and noticed my implants, but I doubt anyone actually knew what they were for.

Hanako was the first one to say something directly to me. "Oh! Shizune, are those...cochlear implants?"

I stopped and turned to acknowledge her.

Her visible eye widened. "You can...hear me?"

Smiling, I pressed a finger to my lips and walked over to her. I leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "Yeah, but I'm waiting until Hisao gets here for the big reveal. Don't tell anyone, okay?"

Hanako nodded, wide-eyed. She smiled slightly as I walked away and Hisao came in, looking slightly winded.

I sat down and looked forward, pretending that I was still normal old deaf-mute Shizune.

Hisao sat down on the other side of Misha's seat and tapped my shoulder to get my attention.

I looked at him expectantly, like always.

[Good morning, Shizune.]

[Good morning, Hisao.]

[What're those? Some kind of implants?]

[Cochlear implants.]

[What are those?]

[It means I can hear now.]

[Really?] He seemed doubtful, just like Misha.

[Talk to me without signing.]

[How do I know you won't be lip-reading?]

[I can't lip-read, Hisao.]

[Well, all right then.] He clasped his hands and watched me intently. "Where's Misha? I haven't seen her yet."

Not yet...I can't talk just yet. That'll happen during class.

[She's sleeping. She stayed with me while I was recovering from surgery.]

"Hmm...so how was Tanabata?"

So hard to keep from talking at this point.

Instead, I broke into a wide grin and sped up my signing to convey my excitement. [It was perfect! We ate all this great food, and we played a lot of games, and then we watched the fireworks, and then we-]

I froze. Purely from instinct. This isn't something I would talk about so lightly. So I took a deep breath and continued on more calmly. [We kissed.]

"Oh, really? That's good for you two."

I nodded vigorously and beamed.

"You seem so much happier now. I like it."

I was about to reply when Mutou cleared his throat. "Excuse me. Anything you'd care to share with us?"

A girl unfamiliar to me was working through a chemistry equation on the blackboard, but had stopped to look at us like the rest of the class.

Well, now seemed as good a time as any. I stood up and bowed to Mutou.

"I apologize on both of our behalfs, sir. We did not realize that class had started."

I stayed bowed, but watched the room. Of course, everyone but Lauren and Hanako looked shocked, even Mutou.

Mutou gathered himself first. "Very well. Be seated. Lauren, continue."

I spotted Lilly in one corner of the room, speaking softly into a headset. Lauren was wearing the other half, occasionally nodding.

As expected, I was swarmed with questions as soon as the bell rang.

"What are those, Shizune?"

"You can hear now?"

"How'd you learn to talk?"

And, above all...

"Can you laugh for us?"

I held my hands up for silence after the tenth time I heard that question. "All right, if you really want me to, I'll laugh for you. Just stay quiet for a moment."

The quiet I asked for fell, and suddenly I knew all eyes were on me.

I was fine with it.

I let the mirth I still had leftover from my earlier discussion about Tanabata bubble through my veins. It started as a giggle, then a chuckle, making its way toward a full-bodied laugh.

Soon, everyone joined me, even the strict and stoic-looking Lauren.

It was a great moment. Eventually the laughter died down, and I received all manner of congratulations and well-wishes. As the masses slowly filed out to lunch, Lauren and Lilly hung back, with Hanako customarily clinging to Lilly. 3

Lilly turned to me. "Shizune."

"Yes?"

"Could you interpret for Lauren? Her English is hard for me to understand, but sign language is universal. You could communicate with her better."

I turned to Lauren and got her attention. [Can you understand my signing?]

She had to think about it. [I can. Better than your spoken language.]

[Good.] I turned back to Lilly and nodded. "We're good. She understands me."

"Good, good. Can you take her to lunch? I wish to eat with Hanako."

"Of course." I turned to Lauren as the two of them left. [I'll be your interpreter from now on. Until you learn Japanese.]

[Of course. Oh...what does...] She did her best to spell "Shizune". [What does that mean? I heard people saying it a lot back there.]

[That's my name. S-H-I-Z-U-N-E.]

[Oh.] Lauren looked a little sheepish. [Sorry.] She looked at my implants. [What are those?]

[Cochlear implants.]

[Hang on. Show me that again?]

[C-O-C-H-L-E-A-R.]

[Okay, I think I've got it.]

[Good. Ah, I have Student Council work to do. Follow me. We'll eat lunch there.] I led her to the Student Council room.

[You are part of Student Council?]

[I am the president.]

[I s-] Her sentence was cut off by a long, invasive beep.

[What was that?]

"Ah, wait..." So she did know a little Japanese. She reached to the pouch on her hip and pulled out a black box blinking with lights and meters. "My me...medi..." She gave up and signed it instead. [My medication. Plus, I'm getting kind of heated.] She popped some pills, then rolled up her sleeves and unbuttoned the first few buttons of her blouse. These actions revealed some wires, two running from her wrist and two more running from the side of her neck, both disappearing into her shirt.

[What are those?]

[They're hooked into my black box. They triangulate my average heart rate and make the box flip out if it's erratic.]

[Do you have some kind of heart condition?]

[Yes. Terrible, terrible arrhythmia.]

[How bad?]

[I can't take stairs, or get too hot, or forget my meds, etc. If I do anything wrong, I'll have a heart attack. I had half a dozen heart attacks last month.]

[Wow. I...I wish you didn't have to say that about yourself.]

Lauren seemed taken aback. [What?]

I repeated what I had signed.

Lauren blinked a few times, stunned, then smiled. [Thank you. Everybody always says 'I'm sorry' in some stripe. I don't like that. You may have said, in essence, 'I'm sorry to hear that', but you didn't phrase it like that at all. Thank you.]

[No problem. I'm always happy to help.]


	10. SingSong

I loved being able to hear and speak, but I had reservations about it. The silence that I had known for eighteen years was broken, and when it fell again I felt almost claustrophobic. I spent most of my time talking to myself to fill the silence in any empty room I was in. Eventually, I started listening to music. My interest in it grew healthily, and I decided to go see Hanako to talk about singing. It was, in fact, something she liked to do.

She opened the door apprehensively as usual when I knocked. "Ah! Shizune." She opened it all the way. "What brings you here?"

"Hanako, you like to sing, right?"

She blushed. "Well, yes."

"Could you...could you teach me?"

"Teach you? I'm not teacher material..."

"Please?" I realized how much I really wanted to learn how to sing, and why. "I want to do it for Misha."

"O-oh? Wh-why, i-if you don't mind me asking?"

I realized no one else except Hisao and Lilly knew about me and Misha. Looking at Hanako's curious face, I decided it couldn't hurt for one more person to know.

I leaned in and whispered conspiratorially to her. "Don't tell anyone...but Misha and I are together. Her birthday's coming up soon, and I want to do something special for her. Something she wouldn't expect."

Hanako listened, wide-eyed, then mulled it over for a moment. "I'd love to...but I have company..." Her eyes darted rearward, looking toward her room. Lilly was there, sitting patiently with her hands folded in her lap.

Lilly turned towards the sound of our voices. "I already knew, Hanako, if that's why you're hesitating."

Hanako shook her head slowly. "I...I don't want to make you two associate. I know you always fight..."

"Ah, but that's changed. Right, Shizune?" Lilly smiled in my direction.

"Definitely. When she came to see me in the hospital, we weren't at each other's throats at all." Which reminded me. "Why was that, Lilly? Why did you come visit me anyway?"

"Well, if Hanako wants to let you in, we can talk."

Hanako brought her hand up to her face. "Okay." She stood aside to let me in.

I sat on the bed next to Lilly. "So? How about it?"

Lilly smiled slightly. "I heard from Akira that you were in the hospital. She said Hideaki told her, but that's all he said. He wouldn't say what you were getting surgery for. I was worried, because even though we might butt heads a fair bit, family is family. Akira couldn't come, and she said she was sorry for that. Come to think of it...I don't think she knows."

A mischievous idea began to form in my head. "Say...what if-"

"-We were to call her and surprise her, right?" Lilly's smile had widened. "See, now we're even thinking alike. But are you sure you want to before I've answered your question?"

"Ohh, can we please do it now? My questions can wait! This is going to be so fun!"

"All right, settle down." Lilly took out her phone. "All right, it's all you. I'll jump in if she starts freaking out or something." Lilly dialed Akira's number and set the phone on the bed after switching on speaker.

_Hello? Akira here._

I took my cue. "Hey, Akira! How have you been? I haven't seen you for a while!"

Akira sounded about as confused as she could. _Who's this? Misha? Is Lilly around?_

Lilly jumped in. "I'm here, Akira. What's up?"

_Why aren't you on instead of Misha? And how are you both talking to me?_

"Oh, I put it on speaker. By the way, it's not Misha."

_Y'all are confusing me. If this isn't Misha, who is it?_

"Well, dear sister, think about who else knows you well enough to refer to you so casually."

I could practically hear Akira shaking her head. _You gotta be so cryptic? Sigh...what, you want me to visit or something?_

"That would be lovely, if you could."

_All right, fine, I'll swing by. And find out who the hell that voice is. It sounds like Shortie sucked some helium._

Lilly chuckled. "See you, Akira."

As soon as she hung up, we all burst out laughing. Once we were done, a cheerful-looking Hanako tapped me on the shoulder.

"Well? You wanted to learn how to sing, right? Let's do it."

"All right then."

"Okay, here's your first lesson. Sit up straight, don't cross your legs, tilt your head up, and..." Hanako breathed deeply and let out a single, pristine, crisp note.

_Ah~_

Okay. Sit up straight...legs not crossed...tilt my head up, and..." I breathed deeply and...

Let out a sound like a strangled cat.

Hanako winced. "Ah...we...we have our work cut out for us. How far away is Misha's birthday?"

"Um...well...two weeks?"

She winced again. "Well, we'll try. We will certainly try."


	11. Well, That Was Unexpected

Akira called us the next morning, saying she would be waiting at the park and that Lilly better bring the mystery voice with her.

I went to wake up Misha. When she didn't answer the door, I tried it and found it unlocked.

She was sleeping. Of course. I close the door and spend a minute watching her sleep.

And, of course, yet another mischievous plan begins to form in my head. A cute, funny, slightly lewd way to wake up my girlfriend.

I climbed into bed next to her-softly, though, so as not to wake her yet-and wrapped my arms around her, counted to three, and-

"KYAAAA!" Misha jolted awake, rolled over me and pulled us both off the bed. I had started laughing as soon as I performed the act, so she had quickly processed that it was me.

She mock-pouted. "Bad, bad! Naughty Shicchan! Looks like I need to teach you a lesson!"

I raised my hands in mock horror. "Oh, no! Misha's going to attack me!"

She grinned fiercely. "Damn right!" She leapt on me, and we spent a good five minutes rolling around the floor, wrestling. Eventually, we were both exhausted, with me somehow winding up over top of her.

She smiled and pushed me down lightly, then rolled on her side to look at me. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"You woke me up in such a lewd way...aren't you going to follow up?"

I was struck dumb with the offhand way she said it. Of course, I probably would have done it, too.

I reached out with a hand and touched her chest gingerly. She looked a little concerned. "Shicchan, are you...are you shy?"

"What? Shy? N-no..." My blush gave me away.

Rather than bust out laughing, she reached out and stroked my cheek. "Do you want me to lead?"

I gulped and nodded.

"Okay." Misha started by kissing me lightly, then a little more deeply. Then she pulled away to suck on her first two fingers.

"What are you-"

"Shh. Just let me lead." When the fingers were sufficiently wet, she slipped her hand into my skirt.

But the back, not the front.

I gasped in surprise as her moist digits circled my back passage. It felt weird, but good...and at the same time, I didn't want it.

Misha seemed to pick up on this. "Do you not want me to touch back here?"

I slowly shook my head. "It's fine, I just...I don't know what I should do..."

Misha smiled and pulled her hand out of my panties, then helped me strip off her shirt. As she slipped her hand back into...well, my back door, she used her other to guide my hand to her breast. "Touch my chest, Shicchan. Both of them. I like that."

I moved my other hand to her other breast as she continued teasing my back passage. The more she did it, the more I liked it, and she could tell.

"You're relaxing, Shicchan~. That's good."

I was unsure how to stimulate her breasts. I had touched my own before, but never in a purposefully stimulatory manner.

I decided to focus on one at a time. I rubbed it with one hand while tracing the nipple with a finger. As it grew erect, I gave it a tentative lick.

Misha gave a soft cry and tensed up a little. "That felt good, Shicchan~...your tongue is so warm~..."

I closed my lips around the small nub, alternating between a soft suck and a slow lick.

"Ah~! No, Shicchan~, don't suck on it~! Ahh~!"

Suddenly, something warm and sweet-ish sprays into my mouth from Misha's nipple. I pull back a bit to cough and noticed a milky white bead of moisture roll down the curve of her breast.

"Misha...are you..."

She nodded, looking very embarrassed.

I smiled. "It's...sweet. It tastes like you." I lowered my head back to her breast and continued to suckle her sweet nectar.

Misha giggled. "Shicchan...you look like a little baby."

I peered up at her through my lashes.

"Hey...you know what?" She used her free hand to pluck my glasses off my nose. "These are in the way~!"

I made a sound of protest muffled by Misha's breast.

She giggled and put them on her nightstand. "You can have them back when we're done~!" She applied a little more pressure to my back door. "I'm going inside, Shicchan. Is that okay?"

I pulled off her breast and nodded.

She pressed one finger against my opening, slowly working it in.

"Ahh~!" She was barely inside, but it felt so good already...

"Hmm? What's this? Are you feeling good from _this_, Shicchan? What a lewd girl you are!"

Well, I wasn't about to have that. I tugged Misha's pants down off her hips, then wet one of my fingers and began to imitate her actions.

"Ah~! W-well...I knew that would get you riled up. Y-You're so...predictable, Shicchan..."

"R-Really? H-How about this...Whoever has an orgasm first...loses..."

"All right...let's do it!"

It wound up taking longer than we'd thought. It was so much fun, though. Who won, you ask? Well...

Misha grinned as I lay there, breathing hard, covered in a sheen of sweat, last of my juices pooling on the carpet beneath my thigh.

I had lost. My panties were soiled, and i took a moment to be glad that I hadn't changed.

However, I could tell that my own efforts hadn't gone on in vain. Misha was shaking from the effort of holding back, and soon after I had lost she lost control.

"Kyaa~ah!" Her hands immediately darted to her groin, where an obvious wet spot was forming.

I rolled over onto my back. I tried to look at the ceiling, then remembered that Misha had taken my glasses.

She had just finished her orgasm, and we were both laying on our backs next to each other, panting and sweating, when my phone rang.

I put it on speaker. "Haah...yeah?"

_Shizune, it's Lilly. Where are you? We were going to meet up at the front gate ten minutes ago. And why are you breathing hard?_

"Ahh...I...I went to...wake up Misha...and...we went out...for a run...we were...just about to get changed...and come out to...meet you..."

Lilly sounded doubtful, but seemed to accept it. _Well, all right. Just don't take too long, okay? I told Akira we'd be there soon._

"Right...sorry, we'll be right there." I hung up. "Well, there you have it. We gotta get going."

Misha giggled. "I'll have to oversleep more often, if this is what happens when you wake me up."

"Don't be a pervert, Misha." I smiled nonetheless, squinting to be able to see her.

"Oh! Right! Your glasses!" She grabbed them and put them on for me. "All right, let's get ready!"

"Right."


	12. A Day In The Park

Shizune and I went over our plan with Hanako and Lilly on the way to meet Akira. Shizune would pretend to be deaf for a time, then excuse herself to use the toilet. Then we'd keep Akira distracted while Shizune snuck up on her and spoke, doing the 'guess who' that I was so fond of doing.

We got to the park and saw Akira on a bench, relaxing with a can of soda.

I called out to her. "Aki~ra!"

She looked up and waved at us. "Yo! What took ya so long?"

"Shicchan and I went for a run~!" It wasn't hard to sign everything to Shizune, since it was a semi-unconscious habit of mine anyway.

"Really? Exercising so early in the morning?"

I saw Shizune almost nod, but no one else seemed to.

Akira tossed her empty can of soda in the trash. "So, you got the mystery voice with you?"

Lilly giggled. "She'll show up. Just give her a bit."

"Well, all right." She took another soda out of her bag and cracked it open.

Shizune signed to me, and I translated. "Akira, why are you drinking soda? I thought you always drank beer."

"Yeah, well, my doc told me I should cut down on the booze before my liver quits on me. So now I'm on soda."

"That's nice."

We talked for a time, then, as planned, Shizune excused herself to use the bathroom. We continued to hold Akira's attention until Shizune sneaks back around and puts her hands over Akira's eyes.

"Guess who~?"

Akira jolted a bit. "Ahh, there you are."

"Yup, I'm here."

"So, I have to guess?"

"Yup!"

"Hmm...well, it's not Misha...not Hanako...and not Lilly. Hisao doesn't sound like that, so...well, the only option left doesn't make sense. You can't be Shizune, because she's deaf and mute."

Shizune uncovered her eyes. "Turn around, then."

Akira turned around and looked at her. "Right...is someone hiding behind you?"

"Nope. This is my voice, Akira."

"But...you're deaf...I just watched you and Misha signing..."

Shizune crouched down and turned her head sideways.

Akira instantly understood. "Ohh! I've seen those before! One of my coworkers has a pair of those! Cochlear implants, right?"

"Yeah."

"How long has it been?"

"A few days."

"And you can already talk so well?"

"Misha helped me."

I smiled at Shizune's statement.

"Really now? Oh! That reminds me..." Akira gave Shizune a playful poke on the forehead. "Lilly said you had a romantic attachment. You wanna share, or do I have to guess again?"

"Is that a real question?"

"All right then. Hisao."

"Nope."

"Hmm...not Hanako?" Akira flicked her gaze to Hanako, who shrank in on herself.

"Not Hanako either. One more guess."

"Hmm...the only one that close to you...would be..." Akira suddenly stood up, and, putting on her best lawyer act, swept an arm out to point a damning finger at me. "Shiina Mikado!"

I held my hands up in mock surrender. "I plead guilty! What else do you want?" I giggled, breaking my shoddy facade.

"Heh. So it's Misha, is it? That's nice."

Shizune hopped over the bench. "Yeah, it's Misha."

"Since when?"

"Tanabata."

"That's nice. Never was one for Tanabata myself."

"Yeah, it was nice, though."

My smile flickered as I remembered the events preceding Tanabata. I was practically in hell waiting for her decision...

And though I had never said so, had she refused me I probably would have hurt myself.

The past was quickly pushed from my mind as we began to celebrate the day. I didn't engage much in the conversation until Akira asked me a question.

"So, Misha, what're you doing for your birthday? Two weeks, right?"

"Yeah! Well, I don't know what I'm doing, but I bet Shicchan does!"

Shizune grinned. "Well, you're not meant to know yet."

I stuck my tongue out at her. "Fine. I'll just wait you out, then!"

"You'll have to."


	13. Birthday Tragedy

I was worried.

Shizune had yet to arrive from her trip to visit her family, and we-that is, me, Lilly, Hanako, and Akira- were getting nervous. She was over fifteen minutes late now, and she hadn't called about any delays.

Then, my phone rang. I answered it without even checking the number. "Hello? Shizune?"

I didn't recognize the voice on the other end of the line, which scared me. _Are you Misha?_

"Y-yes, that's me. Did something happen to Shizune?"

_By Shizune, you mean Shizune Hakimichi? Dark hair, glasses, 158 centimeters tall, 58 kilograms in weight, blood type O?_

Now I was really scared. _Really_ fucking scared.

"Yes, that's her. What happened to her?"

_I'm sorry to tell you, miss, but Miss Hakimichi was struck by a drunk driver while going through a crosswalk. She's currently being rushed to the hospital._

I knew I should be scared.

"I-Is she okay? Please tell me she's okay, sir."

I held my breath waiting for the words.

_Her injuries are not life-threatening. She received remarkably light injuries for the speed she was hit at, and from what we've seen she doesn't seem like she hit her head._

Oh thank god.

"What hospital, sir?"

_The one in the city near Yamaku Academy. She should be open for visitation within an hour or two_.

"Thank you, sir." I hung up, then slowly about-faced and delivered the bad news.

No one even had to say "Let's go see her" or anything of the like. We grabbed the first possible bus downtown and all but ran for the hospital.

We were let in relatively quickly. Shizune looked very pale and still shell-shocked by the whole thing, but was resting comfortably in the hospital bed, eyes fixed on the television droning low-quality reality programming.

At a glance, her injuries really didn't look all that bad. Her entire leg was in a cast, and her arm was in a sling. the odd bandage was wrapped around a part of her body here and there.

"Shicchan?"

She turned her head to look at me. "Hey. Happy birthday." She sounded miserable, not to mention exhausted.

I pulled up a chair next to her bed, while Akira, Lilly, and Hanako decided to sit by the window and wait their turn. "Oh, Shicchan...what happened?"

Not what I was trying to ask, but she somehow got the point. "Well, I broke my shin, cut up my thigh real good, nearly broke my hip, got a bunch of scrapes, ruined my favorite dress, broke a wrist and forearm. Got some good scrapes, nearly broke my head."

I winced at that last one. "So you did hit your head."

"No. Almost did, though." The look in her eyes changed. "Misha, kiss me."

"What, now? But-"

"Now. Do it."

I had no real reason not do, so I did. I leaned down and kissed her, right on the lips. Hanako gasped slightly, but there was no other reaction.

When I pulled away, Shizune looked even more shaken than before. She was, in fact, literally shaking. And her eyes were getting wet.

"Shicchan?"

"I...I'm scared, Misha. I...I almost died today. I could have. That scared me. It still scares me. I need something concrete. I don't wanna go away yet...I'm too young. But the world doesn't care. It doesn't care if you're on your way home after buying a cake for your girlfriend's birthday, then plan to surprise her by singing to her and then maybe, just maybe, spend the night together. Just a bolt from the blue, a ton-and-a-half chunk of metal hurtling toward you at highway speed. I can't believe my leg is still attached. But...I want to make sure you will stay with me. As long as we live."

"Shicchan, that goes without-"

"Misha, marry me!" She blurted over me, throwing the room into a stunned silence.

The stunned silence only deepened as I said, "Okay."


End file.
